Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Race Card Pulled

I'm usually the last black person in the building to holler about race, even when I was pulled over by cops while in the Falls area b/c they said they saw smoke coming from my car (I don't smoke), even asked me how I, a college educated-- hell, high school educated person, knew the word "valid" when I used the word regarding my driver's license, even when a friend (Tq) and I were followed by cops while driving in the Pinecrest area at night b/c, I guess, we didn't fit the profile of million-dollar home inhabitants, even when an older white gentleman moved his wallet from his back pocket to his front while walking in front of me, even when I sat unwaited on in the Hard Rock in Puerto Rico (again w/ Tq) for about half an hour before we complained to the manager (and was given whatever we wanted for free-- we ordered all kinds of sh*t [we were tipsy from our visit to the Bacardi Factory]), even when the northern Spaniards pelted me w/ bread and shot me w/ water guns, calling me all kinds of names in Spanish, leaving me to hide in my dorm room for two weeks before I finally said f*ck it and flaunted my big beautiful black body all over Santander. But, even I've got to say something about this Trayvon Martin case. This sh*t right here, this sh*trighthere is pureRACISM. For real. (In case it's not clear, each highlighted word is a link to a different article pertaining to this case-- except for one).

This case has so many black parents afraid for their child(ren). It underlines everything we whisper about. And, in Miami, not just black parents but Spanish/Cuban/Latin ones too b/c our kids come pre-labeled. What is there to say when the state's standardized test is used to determine how many jails to build?

The police tapes have been released and I can't bring myself to listen to them. Just reading about how his mother ran out of the room while they played was enough to break my heart. I never want to feel what she's feeling, never want to have to go through the pain of losing a child, especially one so young and so sudden. I can't even bear the thought.